University of Oregon Fischer & Kawasaki Honored to ESPN Academic All-District Teams

Collegiate Volleyball

www.GoDucks.com

(EUGENE, Oregon) - University of Oregon sophomores Katherine Fischer and Kellie Kawasaki were rewarded for their excellence in the classroom and on the court Thursday with ESPN Academic All-District volleyball team honors in an announcement by CoSIDA.

Fischer, an outside hitter from Los Altos, Calif., was tabbed to the six-person first team, and the pre-business administration major was one of two honorees with 4.0 cumulative GPA’s.

Kawasaki, a defensive specialist from West Linn, Ore., was picked to the six-member third team, and the general science major owns a 3.72 cumulative grade point average.

On the court, Fischer currently ranks third in the Pac-10 and 33rd nationally in service aces (0.33 per set), and fourth in the league in double-doubles (10). On the season, she has led UO in kills in a team-high 10 matches, and has paced the team in the following number of matches in points (7), hitting (4), blocks (3), digs (3), and aces (1).

This week, Kawasaki ranked third on the team in digs (2.06 per set), and has three matches with double figures dig totals - including a season high of 12 in a three-set win over Washington State. At the service line, she has topped UO in three matches vs. Santa Clara (2), Florida International (3) and at then-No. 1 Stanford (1). On the season, her 15 aces and 0.19 per-set average is triple her total and average in 2009 (5, .06).

The Duck duo’s honors were the fourth and fifth under sixth-year head coach Jim Moore. Former setter Nevena Djordjevic picked up similar second- and third-team honors in 2008 and ’09, and former middle blocker Kristin Bitter was a first-team choice in ’06.

Prior to Moore’s arrival, only one other Duck had picked up academic all-district honors – former setter Casey Crisler in 1995, ’96 and ’97.

Fischer is now eligible for the national volleyball academic All-America team that is voted on by collegiate sports information directors and announced later this month.

This weekend, Fischer, Kawasaki and the No. 20 Ducks (16-7, 4-7) play at No. 23 Arizona (16-7, 5-5) on Friday, Nov. 4, and at Arizona State (16-7, 4-6) on Saturday, Nov. 5, and both matches start at 7 p.m.

District 8 Winners - University Division

FIRST TEAM
Katherine Fischer, OREGON, So., Los Altos, Calif., 4.00, Pre-Business Admin.
Alix Klineman, STANFORD, Sr., Manhattan Beach, Calif., 3.53, Art
Jill Sawatzky, OREGON STATE, Sr., St. Andrews, Manitoba, 3.96, Business Administration
Cassidy Lichtman, STANFORD, Sr., Poway, Calif., , 3.63, Political Science
Stephanie Browne, STANFORD, Jr., Danville, Calif., 3.93, Political Science
Lauren Campbell, NORTHERN ARIZONA, So., Covington, Wash., 4.00, Mechanical Engineering

SECOND TEAM
Paige Weber, ARIZONA, Sr., Indianapolis, Ind., 3.88, Business Accounting
Kanani Danielson, HAWAII AT MANOA, Jr., Ewa Beach, Hawaii, 3.49, Interdisciplinary Studies
Jamie Mellies, SEATTLE, Sr., Henderson, Nev., 3.92, Civil Engineering
Cecilia Agraz, FRESNO STATE, So., Hanford, Calif., 4.00, Communication
Caitlin Jensen, SOUTHERN UTAH, So., Alpine, Utah, , 4.00, Biology/Zoology
Katie Astle, UTAH STATE, Sr., Sandy, Utah, , 3.72, Finance and Economics
Kayli Doxey, UTAH VALLEY, Sr., Gilbert, Ariz., , 3.85, Exercise Science

THIRD TEAM
Tanya Schmidt, SANTA CLARA, Jr., Cupertino, Calif., 3.956, English
Cat Highmark, ARIZONA STATE, Jr., Scottsdale, Ariz., 3.90, Interdisciplinary Studies
Carli Lloyd, CALIFORNIA, Sr., Bonsall, Calif., 3.54, Social Welfare
Liz McArthur, UTAH STATE, Jr., St. George, Utah, 3.72, Family and Human Dev.
Elizabeth Harden, BOISE STATE, So., Lake Forest, Calif., 3.46, Business
Gabi Ailes, STANFORD, Sr., Bellevue, Neb., 3.39, Communication
Nicole Warner, BRIGHAM YOUNG, Jr., Rigby, Idaho, , 3.79, Exercise Science
Kellie Kawasaki, OREGON, So., West Linn, Ore., 3.72, General Science

Source: UNIVERSITY OF OREGON ATHLETICS